23 April 2013

Food Allergy Solutions Commercial Kitchens


Introducing:




Advantages:

Save time: Ingredient training, training on specific ingredients, finding packages, reading and understanding labels 
Save Money: staffing, printing menus, 
Increase Exposure to new clients being listed to 1000's


Problem: 
  1. 150 million people diagnosed with food allergies, worldwide
  2. 38% of the population reporting one or more food intolerance
  3. Most people with food allergies (especially multiple food allergies) cannot eat out, because it isn't safe and most food service professionals don't have the knowledge and expertise it takes to serve them. 
  4. Over 425 Million People have one or more special dietary need- from celiac disease to vegans. 



LaraHolland's Solutions for Food Service Business:
Our food allergy consulting practice has developed a comprehensive, full service solution designed to help both the food allergic and the food service industry. 
Simple steps  include: 


1. Training & Certification for foodservice professionals
2. Menu/Ingredient Technology 
3. Alternative Cooking Skills (AllerFriendly Cuisines), New Recipes, Kitchen Certification,  Alternative Product Sourcing
4. Safety Audits and Checkups to ensure safety and limit liability. 

We have numbers to show catering to food allergic, can increase food service sales 8%-25%. 







Contact LaraHolland today to learn how you can be a Food Allergy/Gluten Friendly Kitchen.   www.ilaraholland.com  Keep in touch by following us on FacebookTwitterGoogle Plus, or LinkedIn
ALLERSMARTMENU trademark serial number: 85962901 belongs to LaraHolland

09 April 2013

Food Laws & Trends related to Food Allergies

Laws regarding food labeling are on the rise from nutritional counts to labeling food allergens and other food intolerance, (i.e. gluten).  See more on Food Allergy Law in United States, click here


People are demanding a certain level of transparency in their food products, because many of us have become more educated on how food impacts our health and life. It's not just nutritional counts for those who want to lose weight or stay healthy , it's for those who are at risk of death or being very sick for prolonged time periods, if they eat certain foods they might be allergic to. 
  1. Teen sues after Amtrak bars travel because of allergy: Food Allergic individuals are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504. 
  2. Lesley University in Massachusetts was recently fined $50K (awarded to student), mandated to carry safe food products for students with food allergies/ food intolerance, provide special "safe area for food storage," and have all food service staff trained on food allergens and gluten. 
  3. 2006: Foods covered by the FDA labeling laws that contain the most common 8 food allergens must be labeled in plain English- i.e.  if it has Lactate Solids in it- it has to state "Contains Milk" because 99% of consumers won't know that lactate solid is milk. There are still many food products that are not covered by the FDA laws, so we still have to read all the ingredients and nearly become experts on what alternative names for our allergens are. We still don't see this being strictly enforced. 
  4. April 2013:  Maryland and Rhode Island join other states like MA, MN, NY in having Food Allergy laws in restaurants. These laws aren't perfect solutions but they help and are a start.
  5. FAAMA: We saw the Food Allergy Anaphalxis Management Act come into play a few years ago- which requires schools to create a policy and plan to manage food allergies. This is K-University schools, but still the law is unclear and leaves lots of room for failure. 
While people in the food business might think these regulations and laws are harsh and over the top, other countries are more strict and the people that have special dietary needs for life/death issues- don't think it's enough.  
These two bars are exactly the same. They were purchased in different stores. 
The ingredient label is different. One says "MAY Contain" the other says, "DOES contain" 










To become #FoodAllergyAware, please contact us about our AllerCert Program.